Tour de Luxembourg at home

Tour de Luxemourg finishes on a climb on Montée de Clausen. Before finishing there, the parcours makes loops. My new apartment is actually on the loop part of the parcours. That means that I can stay home or even stay in bed to watch the riders go multiple times. Of course, I won't be at home nor in bed when the race comes.

I will visiting Luxembourg tomorrow. I went there when I had a job interview late in November. I went there last week when I applied for the Birth Certificate at the Japanese Embassy. I also found, of course the kind help with my boss, this apartment. 

I am planning to move my stuff during Christmas (24-25th). I will be moving there on New Year' Eve. By the time I am in Luxembourg, it will be already New Year's Day. No time to celebrate. 

Race watch schedule 2009

So the saison 2009 is just around the corner. I have no plan to visit Tour Down Under in Australia but as many races in Europe as humanly and financially possible. Here is the preliminary schedule for the upcoming season.

Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (Belgium) March 1st (Sun)
Paris-Nice Prologue (France) March 15th (Sun)
Critérium International (France) March 28 - 29th? (Sat - Sun)
Ronde van Vlaanderen (Belgium) April 5th (Sun)
Paris - Roubaix (France) April 12th (Sun)
Rund um Köln (Germany) April 13th (Mon)
Amstel Gold Race (Holland) April 19th (Sun)
Liège - Bastogne - Liège (Belgium) April 26th (Sun)
(Henninger Turm) (Germanry) May 1st (Fri)
Tour de Romandie (Switzerland) May 3rd (Sun)

ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) releases the detailed race plans only one or two weeks ahead of the events. I don't like it but I have to accept it. My concern is that the prologue venue in 2009 might not be near Paris since in 2008 it was too remote from Paris (Amilly) and I gave the race up. 

The previously-called Rund um den Henninger Turm will be presented with another name in 2009 since the title sponsor Henninger Brewery is no more there.  For that matter, Team Saxo Bank - IT Factory will be also presented under another name.  

In 2008, I drove to Switzerland to see the last stage but I will have to be probably no show in 2009 since the schedule is too tight.

The schedule above is not yet set. If Team Saxo Bank does not participate in one of the above, I won't probably visit them.

I hope there is someone out there who reads this.

Luxembourg, here I come!

Wow! I have not updated my blog for a looooong time! 
Luxembourg has been, in my mind, the place where I wanted to live for the last
three years or so. Well, I am going to live and work (sometimes I think that
 "work" is a four-lettered word) in Luxembourg next year. 
I am going to update my blog more often next year. 

Congratulations Frank.

Frank Schleck won the Luxembourg National Championship. I was there to witness
his efforts. And Andy was working hard leading the peloton to catch the breakaway 
during the race. Nice team work or brother work!

Later I heard at the "Frank & Andy Schleck Fan Club" hangout in Mondorf les Bains
that Nicki Sorensen and Kurt-Asle Arvesen won the Danish and Norwegian National
Championship respectively.

What a day! Congratulations guys! Now we have 3 guys with road race National 
Champions and 1 time trial National Champions in our Team CSC SAXO Bank
team for the Tour de France.

I am sure that this great feat will make those Italian sewing masters busy 
for the next couple of days. The deadline (when shipping and delivery takes
about two days or so) is Tuesday or earlier. Can all the three guys wear the
proper champion jersey at the team presentation? I am thrilled to witness that
in Brest on Thursday July 3rd.

Tour de Suisse 2008 Part II

I am back from Switzerland. I will try to post some pictures and to comment
on them but Tour de Frace is just around the corner so I don't know if I can
find time to do so.

You see, I am following all the stages of TdF this year. I have to prepare for it.

It was a great race. Fabian Cancellara won two stages, Team CSC riders did
very well and showed that they were on form for the TdF. However, the most
important thing is that they finished the race. In other words, coming to the
finish safe and sound is the most important thing.

Frank had an extremely unbelievably huge mega luck to survive that crash 
with only scratches, little cuts and a bit of pain in the back. 

The day after the crash, at the start in Ambri, I asked him if he was really
really OK. He said, "... Yeah, I've seen better days but ..."

Anyway, I will try to update this blog before TdF.




Hi, Paul. I did not expect to see you on top of Klausenpass.

Tour de Luxebourg 2008 Part VI

Just pictures and this will be edited later...




















Just pictures and this will be edited later...






















Just pictures and this will be edited later...

Tour de Luxembourg 2008 Part V

Just pictures and this will be edited later...















Just pictures and this will be edited later...
















Just pictures and this will be edited later...

Tour de Luxembourg 2008 Part IV

This Portuguese store is located just 70 meters from the Start. It was
June 8th Sunday. The day before that day (Saturday), the Portuguese national
team won a match against Turkey in European Championship (succor or football).
This store owner was happy, I guess. I saw Portuguese flags flying at several
places in Luxembourg. I had not known that there were Portuguese communities
in Luxembourg before that day.


They had flags and other items delicately displayed.

Well, back to the race.

Kurt-Alse Arvesen and Bobby Julich giving out their autographs to fans.



Ditto.



Andy is ready to go with a bunch of snack bars in his back pockets.



Frank Schleck giving out his autograph.

 

Fabian Cancellara going to the start line.



Team CSC cars.



Andy is being photographed.



The Start gate. Can you see those pink elephants?



Filippo Pozzato signing.



The race is about to start.



Volodymir Gustov just after the start.



Bobby Julich just after the start.

Team Saxo Bank in 2009

Wow! Riis Cycling has made it known that it has found a new sponsor for
the three upcoming seasons.

Team CSC will be known as Team CSC/Saxo Bank effective immediately and
will be known as Team Saxo Bank starting 2009.

What will the UCI code be? SAX?

Tour de Luxembourg 2008 Part III

The sky was blue and it was sunny.


What a beautiful place! This is just 50 meters down the Finish gate. I think this
ruined brick structure is called Casemates.



The ville de Luxembourg (the city of Luxembourg) has a dynamic landscape.
It has this deep valley just out side the city center.



The church peak just over the Finish gate is St. Michel.



Beautiful, isn't it?



This is the front view of University of Luxembourg, I think. This photo
was taken while I was driving to ville de Luxembourg from Mersch.



University of Luxembourg



Sure, it was a hot day in Luxembourg but they mean something else
by Hot City. The city of Luxembourg offers these Wifi hot spots.



You see that antenna up there.



Wifi zone, it says.

Calendar and Results (After June 8th)

My plans for the next few months.

June 15th - 22nd: In Switzerland (Tour de Suisse, Stage 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9)
June 29th Sunday: National Championship (Bochum Germany or other country?)

July 5th - 27th: Tour de France (All the stages including the Team Presentation)

August 24th Sunday: Eneco Tour (Benelux)
August 31st Sunday: Deutschland Tour

September 1st Monday: Deutschland Tour
September 7th Sunday: Vattenfall Cyclassics (GER)


Autograph collection:

1. Stuart O'Grady
2. Karsten Kroon
3. Allan Johansen
4. Kurt-Asle Arvesen
5. Matthew Goss
6. Anders Lund
7. Matti Breschel
8. Marcus Ljungqvist
9. Lasse Bøchman
10. André Steensen
11. Jens Voigt
12. Andy Schleck
13. Nicki Sørensen
14. Michael Bludzun
15. Alexndr Kolobnev
16. Kaper Klostergaard
17. Bobby Julich
18. Gustav Erik Larsson
19. Fränk Schleck
20. Carlos Sastre Candil
21. Chiris Anker Sørensen
22. Lars Bak
23. Volodymir Gustov
24. Jurgen Van Goolen
25. Juan José Haedo
26. Fabian Cancellara

Hopefully, I will get these men to give their autographs on my jersey.
27. Inigo Cuesta Lopez de Castro (during Tour de France, I think he will be there)
28. Bradley McGee (Eneco Tour?? or Deutschland Tour??)
29. Jason McCartney (Eneco Tour?? or Deutschland Tour??)

Tour de Luxembourg 2008 Part II

Tour de Luxembourg 2008 (Stage 4 Mersch - Luxembourg) June 8th 2008.

I left for Mersch 07:00 in the morning and arrived 09:50. Around 10:40,
team cars began to arrive. While waiting for the Team CSC riders to come
out, I checked their bikes.


The O, Symetric chainring on Bobby Julich's spare bike. The bike has 
Ultegra FD equipped on it.



Ultegra is visible.



Only Andy Schleck's bike had this Alpha Q's new GS-40 fork.



Fabian Cancellara's Soloist has this sticker on it. You know by now what
Tony M. means or who it is if you are a Team CSC fan.



Tony's crank set is a bit suspicious.



I saw this similarly suspicious crank in 2007 in Kuurne (Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne) used
by Lars Bak. Back then, it had FSA sticker on it. You can clearly see the remnants
of the sticker.



The work place for the Team CSC boys. As far as I remember,
Tony M., Bobby Julich, Kurt-Asle Arvesen had SRM. Who else had one?
I think there were four bikes with SRM.



The race bike of Bobby's had this roughly machined O, Symetric chainring.
It is just machined but not refined. It does not even have the logo on it.



You can see the rough edges. The FD is a Dura-Ace model.



Voiture balai



This voiture balai had a programable LED board on board. It reads "TDL."